Welcome to our end of year series of interviews with the people behind the award-winning bars from this year’s Boothby Best Bars Awards program. Next up is Dani and Oska Whitehart, co-owners of Bar Bellamy in Melbourne.
Carlton neighbourhood joint, Bar Bellamy, picked up two of the major awards at this year’s Boothby Best Bars VIC Awards back in September. Not only did they land at number two on the Top 50, they also were the winners of The Best Cocktail Bar in Victoria presented by Mezcal Illegal for the second year running, and also took home the prize for Best Bar Eats in Victoria presented by Estrella Damm.
It’s proof that Bar Bellamy is one of that state’s go to bars for hospitality, and the bar’s popularity allowed the owners Dani and Oska Whitehart to open their second venue, Melitta Next Door, earlier this year (and right next door to Bellamy).
Below, Dani and Oska talk about why it is that their bar resonates with the industry, how they’re approaching the challenges of unpredictable patronage, and how they’re thinking about the challenges that lie ahead in 2026.
BOOTHBY: In your opinion, what is it about your bar that resonates with the bar industry?
DANI & OSKA: We think a big part of the appeal with Bar Bellamy is people can see everyone here is trying and we care. Particularly with the drinks programme you can see the thirst for knowledge and the drive to keep learning. We’re working on ways to effectively share the techniques and processes going into each drink, as it’s definitely something we’ve noticed people are interested in.